Price Crash: What's Wrong with Apple Phones

On October 23rd, the news of a sharp drop in prices across the entire iPhone 15 series hit the top of major media searches, causing Apple's "fans" to feel suddenly at a loss.

It is reported that almost all storage versions of the four models in the Apple iPhone 15 series do not have a premium. Even the highly popular iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have reduced their prices by nearly a thousand yuan.

Bloomberg analysts have stated that the sales situation of Apple's latest iPhone 15 series phones in China is not ideal. According to data from market research institutions, the sales of the iPhone 15 series in China's first 17 days of release have decreased by 4.5% compared to the previous generation.

This price fluctuation has sparked a series of discussions, questioning Apple's product quality, brand influence, and Cook's leadership skills

At the beginning of the launch, the iPhone 15 series was roast about because of the lack of innovation and upgrading. Among them, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are basically considered as "replacement" versions of the iPhone 14 series, lacking sufficient appeal to users. Although the iPhone 15 Pro series is equipped with a brand new A16 biomimetic chip, users have stated that they have not experienced a significant performance improvement. In addition, some product design issues, such as screen breakage caused by "Lingdong Island," have also had a negative impact on the product's reputation.

In addition, according to multiple media reports, many netizens who received the new iPhone 15 Pro pointed out a series of quality issues such as poor heat dissipation and "severe heat generation", as well as issues such as broken sound in the speaker of the iPhone 15 series model. Several media platforms of iPhone 15 model users have also posted comments and feedback, stating that the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a screen burn. After increasing the volume, the audio may experience distortion and sound damage, with the earpiece speaker experiencing the most obvious sound damage.

The "hard wounds" in the quality of these products and many negative reviews from users and media have led to a significant decline in Apple's reputation and declining influence.

In fact, since Apple launched the new iPhone 15 series on September 13th and officially launched it on September 22nd, there have been continuous negative voices about the iPhone 15 series in the Chinese market.

Although the performance of Apple, especially Cook, has been widely questioned, in fact, from Cook's own situation, it can be said that he does not attach great importance to the Chinese market, and even "non-stop" to China's intensive check-in, and even personally appeared in Apple's Chengdu Taikoo Li to watch a king's performance competition. He also visited Ya'an last week and announced that Apple will donate 25 million yuan to the China Rural Development Foundation to support and assist farmers Empowering students and revitalizing communities.

From the intensive visits of technology giants such as Apple to China, it can be seen that in the context of increasing international geopolitical risks, the demand of the US high-tech industry for the entire supply chain and huge market in China, as well as the indispensable position of the Chinese market, has become prominent. In the short term, this may bring phased easing opportunities to China US relations.

Meanwhile, the growth momentum of Huawei's mobile phones in China is rapid. According to industry statistics, Huawei has the strongest growth momentum since September this year. After the release of the Mate60 series of new phones by the "Pioneer Plan" on August 29th, Huawei's mobile phone sales saw rapid growth, and its sales share increased from about 10% before the release of the Mate60 series to 19.4%, ranking first in the market.

The most intense media discussion focused on the sales comparison between Apple and Huawei. Just before the release of Apple's new device, Huawei's new device was launched, which immediately sparked a rush to queue up and buy, and the term "far ahead" quickly became a hot internet meme.

Renowned analyst Guo Mingyi stated on social media that Huawei's Mate60 Pro's shipment plan for the second half of the year has increased by about 20% to 5.5-6 million units, and the cumulative shipment volume after 12 months of release will reach at least 12 million units. Jeffrey stated in a report released on Monday that Huawei has now taken over the market leader position from Apple in the Chinese market.

From the experience of Apple phones, it can be seen that in the current increasingly integrated global market and increasingly transparent market competition environment, consumer behavior is also becoming more rational. The adjustment of pricing strategies and product positioning by mobile phone manufacturers, as well as the quality of their products, will directly affect their sales performance.

Consumers no longer solely value the brand value and historical influence of products when making purchases, but will comprehensively consider factors such as product performance, price, and personal actual needs, and finally make rational choices. This will also be a direction that high-tech manufacturers such as mobile phones should highly value in the future.